The Best Night Vision Cameras for Ghost Hunting

Humans are visual creatures. Seeing something with our own two eyes, as the saying goes, gives it credibility.

Especially when dealing with something unknown and even unknowable, laying eyes on it gives us a sort of comfort.

That’s why one of the primary tools used on ghost adventures is a simple camera, preferably one with night vision. Of course, many cameras are actually pretty complicated. There are so many options to go over, and so many makes and models.

It’s really not as simple as just heading down to the store and announcing that you want to go night vision video camera ghost hunting! It’s important to take some time to research the best night vision camera for ghost hunting.

Night Vision Cameras for Ghost Hunting

Before we go further, understand that there is a difference between night vision camcorders for ghost hunting and night vision cameras for ghost hunting.

Camcorders record video and cameras take pictures. Now of course, the fancier you go with the cameras the more you’ll find cameras that also have video. But in general, a camcorder refers to a device that primarily records video and a camera refers to a device that primarily takes pictures.

Most ghost hunting occurs in dark, abandoned buildings. When’s the last time you heard of a haunting right in plain daylight? It happens, sure, but generally a paranormal investigator is going to be operating in the dark.

Night vision is generally measured in terms “minimum lux”.

That refers to the absolute smallest amount of light the camera needs to see. Because you’re typically going to be operating in the dark, the best night vision camera for ghost hunting is therefore one with as small a minimum lux rating as possible.

Cameras are available that can capture a clear image at just 0.0001 lux.

To put that into perspective, that’s the amount of light you’ll have to see by on an overcast, moonless, dark night. It’s actually much less light than what the human eye needs to function properly, which is of course the point.

If ghosts and spirits were easy to spot, then we wouldn’t need ghost hunters at all.

The Green Light

There’s an inherent leap of faith that any paranormal investigator takes when first embarking on their journey, and it’s one that by definition most people do not share.

That’s why it’s important to prepare with the right equipment, so that you can capture the proof you need to corroborate your finds. Anyway, night vision cameras typically achieve this by picking up either infrared or ultraviolet light and using them to enhance the image.

Electronics inside the camera will collect as much information as they can about whatever the camera is pointed at, and use it to construct an image viewable by the human eye.

The green effect you often see in ghost hunting and military footage actually has very little to do with night vision. Green simply happens to be a color that does not strain the human eye, so a person can stare at the image longer without discomfort.

I’m sure most would agree that the best night vision camera for ghost hunting, or for any purpose really, is one that won’t hurt your eyes. Standing outside with no stars and no moon, in the middle of the night, in the cold with dark clouds overhead. Does that sound familiar? It should.

That’s the sort of environment that is just primed for ghosts, spirits, paranormal entities, and even certain cryptids.

Exposing yourself to those kinds of conditions come with the territory. And there’s just no point in embarking on this sort of ghost adventure without the right equipment, and that includes finding the best night vision camera for ghost hunting.

There are plenty of other features to look at too, like onboard digital storage, image enhancements unrelated to night vision, and even physical weight.

Our advice is generally to keep away from cameras that automatically perform image enhancements or post-processing, since the very ghosts you’re trying to find will often be interpreted as image problems.

You’re looking for the best night vision camera for ghost hunting, not the one that’s going to make your face look the nicest or let you read a license plate from 200 feet. There’s nothing wrong with splurging on a camera that does a bit more, and it can certainly save your bacon in some circumstances.

Just keep that core functionality in mind when selecting your gear, and be sure you end up with the best night vision camera for ghost hunting.

Ghost hunting is a specialty occupation, and many of its tools are adapted from other trades.

The best camcorder for ghost hunting isn’t necessarily the one that would be highest regarded by wildlife observers, security camera operators, or any of the other myriad purposes to which cameras can be put.

The Best Night Vision Camera for Ghost Hunting is the One with the Best Night Vision, Period.

It’s a point we keep coming back to, and with good reason. The best night vision camera for ghost hunting has a big emphasis on the night vision. It’s not necessary to have a camera that can sharpen images, because it might sharpen the ghosts right out. A camera with built-in Instagram filters? Forget it.

A camera that only weighs a few ounces and is the size of a credit card? Cute, but you’re a motivated ghost hunter. You can handle the weight of a larger camera, if it means giving yourself that extra little bit of advantage in actually, you know, hunting ghosts.

Not to say that all those other features are worthless, they’re just not your first priority.

Cameras with built-in Wifi to upload directly to your computer or even your website are pretty neat. Cameras that can function as a makeshift security device and alert you if they see something have some definite applications.

But selecting the best night vision camera for ghost hunting really is a simple concept at its core.

The best night vision camera for ghost hunting is the one that can see the best in the dark. That’s really about it.

Everything else is bells and whistles, and don’t get us wrong, bells and whistles are great. They can make or break your ghost hunting adventure as a fun, pleasurable experience.

But need comes before want, and the needs of a camera for ghost hunting is a camera that can see in nearly pitch blackness, far less light than what the naked eye needs in order to see.

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